Alastair Humphreys is a guywith an impressive history of adventure. He's trekked, rowed, biked and hiked in some incredible landscapes and across some terribly difficult terrain. He followed his own dream of being one of the Great Adventurers - in the footsteps of some of the great travelers and explorers we all know about (Sir Edmund Hillary, Thor Heyerdahl, or - more recently - Bear Grylls...). But, interestingly, he now finds himself motivated to bring the essence of what Adventure means to him back into the frontcountry. To the masses, if you were.

Just waking up on a hilltop makes me feel so much happier, and that carries through in other areas. I’d like to help others experience that. I hear from quite a few people who pour out their hearts to me, dads and lads bonding, overworked city types sleeping on a hill. Sleeping on a hill won’t change your life, but it can be a tiny step toward making the changes.

I love his message. I love that he believes that simple experiences, well lived, have the power to change your life. I believe that too...it's at the heart of this mission of Happier Outside.

So, in honor of Alastair - and paying homage to all the adventurers before me (like Isabella Bird, Kay Cottee, and Rosie Swale-Pope), I am excited to create some micro-adventures of my own this summer. I like the idea of camping out in the back yard with my kids (no inside emergency runs allowed) and getting to know the locals (animals that is) - or perhaps we could extend it to sleeping out at the lean-to in the Camden Hills State Park. Perhaps a LOOOOONG walk somewhere, unsupported - just me, my boots and my backpack full of what I need. I also want to do a little overnight sailing sojourn to the islands of Penobscot Bay.